Office of the Vice President for Research

NSF's Responsible Design, Development, and Deployment of Technologies (ReDDDoT)

Supports cross-disciplinary efforts to embed ethical, legal and societal considerations into the responsible development of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, biotechnology and disaster mitigation to benefit society and reduce harm.

Synopsis

The Responsible Design, Development, and Deployment of Technologies (ReDDDoT) program invites proposals from multidisciplinary, multi-sector teams that inform, explore, and execute the principles, methodologies, implementations, and impacts associated with responsible design, development, and deployment of technologies, with a focus on artificial intelligence; biotechnology; and/or natural and anthropogenic disaster prevention or mitigation. The program has two primary aims: 1) to support and strengthen collaborations across disciplines and sectors, such as academia, industry, non-profit, and government for technology translation; and 2) to ensure that ethical, legal, and societal considerations and community values are embedded across the design, development, and deployment of use-inspired technology to promote the public's wellbeing.

The broad goals of the ReDDDoT program include:

Accelerating innovation in use-inspired and translational research for the responsible design, development, and deployment of technologies; Creating broad communities of interest that bring together partners and participants from across disciplines and sectors to better inform practices for the design, development, and deployment of technologies; Educating and training the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce on approaches to responsible design, development, and deployment of technologies; Facilitating societal and economic benefits while developing strategies to avoid or mitigate harms; and Empowering all Americans to participate in technology development, including the earliest stages of design.

In FY25, the program will consider proposals for three project types: Execute, Explore, and Inform (Workshop). Execute Projects are for established teams with demonstrated relevant experience and relationships to execute activities that will have a significant and sustainable impact on the responsible design, development, or deployment of technologies. Explore Projects are for exploratory and formative activities that identify, validate, or test specific approaches to responsible design, development and deployment and strengthen the ability of teams to work across disciplines and sectors. Inform (Workshop) Projects are for convenings and products that harness expertise and inform activities across ecosystems of researchers, practitioners, and communities in responsible design, development, and deployment of technologies. (See Section II.C for more details on each project type.)

In FY25, all proposals should focus on one or more of the following three technology areas: artificial intelligence; biotechnology; and/or natural and anthropogenic disaster prevention or mitigation.

Proposals due: July 8th, 2025

Learn more about the program here.